Sample  Recruiting  Philosophy  (Make  any  adjustments  per  your  school/sport)  

I. Identification  Process  A. Login  to  NCSA  (Spring)  B. Prospects  who  are  recommended  (alumni,  coaches,  friends)  C. High  school  coaches  recommendations  

a. Does  he  oversell  or  undersell  his  players.  Get  to  know  him  D. Opposing  coaches  recommendations  

a. Establish  a  special  rapport  with  a  coach  in  each  league  E. Summer  workouts  (baseball,  basketball,  passing  league  sports)  F. Actual  game  evaluation  G. All-­‐State,  All-­‐League  H. Film  evaluations  I. Local  newspaper  articles  J. Talking  to  other  college  coaches  K. Our  questionnaire  

 II. Prospect  Evaluation  

A. Character  check,  is  he  a  hard  worker?  a. Talk  to  his  coach  b. Captain?  Awards?  Leader?  Hustler?  

B. Physical  requirements  a. Height,  weight,  speed  b. Growth  potential  –  very  important  in  our  recruiting  c. See  at  game,  as  walking  off  field  –  how  does  he  compare  with  our  players?  d. An  unusual  ability  (great  hands,  strong,  overpower)  

C. Athletic  ability  a. Foot  quickness,  coordination,  explosiveness,  traits  for  his  position  b. Evaluate  –  In  person,  on  film,  or  in  another  sport  c. Does  he  make  great  plays  d. His  coaches  information  (40  time,  vertical  jump,  agility  test)  

D. Technique  a. Have  our  position  coach  evaluate  his  ability  by  position  b. Have  coordinator  evaluate  him  c. Keep  records  of  all  evaluations  in  our  process  

E. Academic  criteria  a. Class  rank  b. ACT  c. GPA  d. Can  he  compete  if  academically  if  admitted?  

e. Is  he  an  award  type  young  man?  F. General  evaluations  

a. What  high  school  level  does  he  compete  at?  1A,  2A,  3A….  b. Don’t  continue  to  look  at  film  ‘searching’  for  something  good  because    he  

probably  is  not  good  enough  c. See  him  in  person  (game  evaluation)  as  often  as  possible.  Take  position  coach  

with  you,  cross  evaluate  d. Watch  him  when  he  is  on  the  sidelines,  is  he  always  in  the  game  mentally?  e. What  is  his  history  with  injuries?  f. What  is  his  high  school  program  like?  Demanding?  Good  work  habits?  

 III. How  Does  My  School  Select  Prospects  

A. Needs  by  position  B. A  great  athlete  regardless  of  position  C. Best  player  by  position  as  evaluated  by  

a. Coordinator  b. Position  coach  c. Head  coach  

D. Compare  recruits  to  our  current  players,  All-­‐Americans,  1st  Team  Players    

IV. The  Recruiting  Process  A. Personal  contact  

a. Be  a  good  listener,  he  will  tell  you  about  himself  and  background  b. Why  our  school?  What  separates  us  from  other  schools  c. Talk  about  other  things,  besides  your  sport  d. Do  not  make,  or  border  on  making,  an  offer  until  head  coach  gives  the  final  

word  e. Keep  all  appointments,  promptly  f. Recruit  with  a  positive  approach  g. Each  young  man  is  different,  search  for  the  determining  factor  h. Your  personal  appearance,  look  sharp  –  there  is  no  second  chance  for  a  first  

impression!  i. Total  honesty  will  succeed  over  the  long  haul  j. What  about  his  family?  Are  they  goal  oriented?  Siblings  in  college?  

B. Correspondence  a. Stay  in  contact  –  the  personal  note  is  the  best  form  of  correspondence  b. Support  items  from  recruiting  coordinator  

i. Press  guide  ii. Schedule  card  iii. Recruiting  brochure  iv. Game  invitation  

c. Telephone  calls  (have  something  to  talk  about)  

i. Head  coach,  current  players,  professors,  our  position  coaches  ii. Talk  to  whoever  answers  the  phone,  get  to  know  the  family  

d. Letters  i. Be  personal  ii. Avoid  form  letters  iii. Include  an  important  thought  iv. When  sending  a  letter  through  someone,  always  check  content  (i.e.  

nothing  negative  v. Letter  from  our  current  players,  who  are  alums  of  recruit’s  school  

e. Attend  other  athletic  events  recruit  participates  in  i. Opportunity  to  visit  with  parents  ii. Evaluate  athletic  ability  iii. Talk  to  coaches,  faculty,  administrators  iv. Great  public  relations  v. Talk  to  classmates  of  recruit  –  character  check  

f. Home  visit  i. Be  organized,  prepared  on  time,  check,  and  re-­‐check  directions  ii. You  are  on-­‐stage,  you  solely  represent  your  program  at  this  time  iii. Be  yourself  iv. Show  highlight  film  (tape)  v. Know  when  to  leave!  vi. Head  coach  explain  the  scholarship  and  close  the  sale  

 V. Campus  Visit  

A. Be  selective,  attempt  to  bring  in  only  those  who  we  will  offer  B. Arrange  weekends,  if  possible,  so  that  you  do  not  spread  yourself  too  thin  with  a  large  

number  of  your  prospects.  Quality  time!  C. Prep  head  coach  before  he  interviews  prospect  one  to  one  D. Get  info  concerning  visit  to  recruiting  coordinator  as  early  as  possible.  Remain  in  touch  

with  recruiting  coordinator  until  actual  visit  E. Visit  with  position  coach  F. Recruiting  coach  should  personally  prep  our  host,  make  time,  this  can  make  or  break  a  

sale.  G. If  recruit’s  family  is  on  visit  and  you  invite  them  to  your  home,  give  his  parents  the  

chance  to  leave  when  they  would  like  to  i. Prep  your  spouse  for  visit,  can  be  a  great  influence,  especially  on  parents  ii. Seeing  you  in  your  family  atmosphere  can  make  parents  more  comfortable  as  to  

how  you  will  care  for  their  child  iii. Spend  equal  time  and  conversation  with  each  family  member  

H. Be  sure  recruit  leaves  knowing  exactly  where  he  stands  

I. Take  time  Sunday  night  or  Monday  morning  to  call  his  coach  and  let  him  know  exactly  how  recruit  stands  with  us.  He  may  not  like  what  you  have  to  say,  but  honesty  will  pay  off  

J. Call  recruit  Sunday  night  just  to  make  sure  he  ‘arrived  home  safely’  K. Follow-­‐up  notes  and  calls  

i. You  ii. Position  coach  iii. Academic  people  iv. Student  host  

 VI. The  Actual  Signing  Or  The  Close  

A. Who  will  have  the  most  influence  on  the  decision:  mom,  dad,  coach,  etc  B. Most  important  deciding  factors  must  be  emphasized  C. Reinforce  deciding  factors  D. Take  nothing  for  granted  E. Make  the  recruit  say  ‘no’  in  person  if  this  be  the  case  F. Recruit  his  coach  G. Start  the  application  process  as  soon  as  possible.  Get  an  academic  reading  as  soon  as  

possible    

VII. Miscellaneous  A. There  is  a  unique  quality  in  you  as  a  person.  Use  that  quality  to  separate  yourself  from  

every  other  recruiter.  Cultivate  this  quality  B. Recruiting  is  competition.  Set  your  game  plan,  prepare,  make  adjustments  and  be  

fundamentally  sound  C. Keep  good  records  and  review  them  D. Build  a  trust  with  high  school  coaches  and  service  them  E. Return  all  calls  promptly  F. Don’t  make  promises  unless  they  are  backed  by  head  coach